Capturing and transforming wide-angle video information

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for capturing and transforming wide-angle video information are disclosed. Exemplary implementations may: guide light to an image sensor by a fisheye lens; capture wide-angled video information having a horizontal angle-of-view of 200 degrees or more and a vertical angle-of-view of 180 degrees or more; select a portion of the captured wide-angled video information; transform the selected portion into a rectilinear projection that represents the video sequence; and transform the rectilinear projection into a viewable video sequence that has a format suitable for playback in a virtual reality headset.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for capturing andtransforming wide-angle video information, in particular for playbackusing a virtual reality headset in a manner that provides an immersiveuser experience.

BACKGROUND

Using a fisheye lens to capture images having a 360-degree horizontalangle-of-view is known. Playing back such video information in a headsetis known.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system configured forcapturing and transforming wide-angle video information. The system mayinclude one or more hardware processors configured by machine-readableinstructions. The processor(s) may be configured to guide light to animage sensor by a fisheye lens. The processor(s) may be configured tocapture, by the image sensor, wide-angled video information having ahorizontal angle-of-view of 200 degrees or more and a verticalangle-of-view of 180 degrees or more. The wide-angled video informationmay be based on light that becomes incident on the image sensor. Thewide-angled video information may represent a video sequence. Theprocessor(s) may be configured to select a portion of the capturedwide-angled video information. The selected portion may have a verticalangle-of-view of fewer degrees than its horizontal angle-of-view. Theprocessor(s) may be configured to transform the selected portion into arectilinear projection that represents the video sequence. Therectilinear projection may have a horizontal angle-of-view of between200 degrees and 250 degrees. The rectilinear projection may have avertical angle-of-view of 180 degrees or more. The selected portion mayhave a vertical angle-of-view of fewer degrees than its horizontalangle-of-view. The processor(s) may be configured to transform therectilinear projection into a viewable video sequence that has a formatsuitable for playback in a virtual reality headset. The processor(s) maybe configured to store the viewable video sequence in electronicstorage.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method forcapturing and transforming wide-angle video information. The method mayinclude guiding light to an image sensor by a fisheye lens. The methodmay include capturing, by the image sensor, wide-angled videoinformation having a horizontal angle-of-view of 200 degrees or more anda vertical angle-of-view of 180 degrees or more. The wide-angled videoinformation may be based on light that becomes incident on the imagesensor. The wide-angled video information may represent a videosequence. The method may include selecting a portion of the capturedwide-angled video information. The selected portion may have a verticalangle-of-view of fewer degrees than its horizontal angle-of-view. Themethod may include transforming the selected portion into a rectilinearprojection that represents the video sequence. The rectilinearprojection may have a horizontal angle-of-view between 200 degrees and250 degrees. The rectilinear projection may have a verticalangle-of-view of 180 degrees or more. The rectilinear projection mayhave a vertical angle-of-view of fewer degrees than its horizontalangle-of-view. The method may include transforming the rectilinearprojection into a viewable video sequence that has a format suitable forplayback in a virtual reality headset. The method may include storingthe viewable video sequence in electronic storage.

As used herein, any association (or relation, or reflection, orindication, or correspondency) involving lenses, sensors, angles,selected portions, projections, formats, vertical lines, pixels, and/oranother entity or object that interacts with any part of the systemand/or plays a part in the operation of the system, may be a one-to-oneassociation, a one-to-many association, a many-to-one association,and/or a many-to-many association or N-to-M association (note that N andM may be different numbers greater than 1).

As used herein, the term “obtain” (and derivatives thereof) may includeactive and/or passive retrieval, determination, derivation, transfer,upload, download, submission, and/or exchange of information, and/or anycombination thereof. As used herein, the term “effectuate” (andderivatives thereof) may include active and/or passive causation of anyeffect. As used herein, the term “determine” (and derivatives thereof)may include measure, calculate, compute, estimate, approximate,generate, and/or otherwise derive, and/or any combination thereof.

These and other features, and characteristics of the present technology,as well as the methods of operation and functions of the relatedelements of structure and the combination of parts and economies ofmanufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing description and the appended claims with reference to theaccompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification,wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in thevarious figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that thedrawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only andare not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. As usedin the specification and in the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”,and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a system configured for capturing and transformingwide-angle video information, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

FIG. 2 includes a flow chart of a method for capturing and transformingwide-angle video information, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary image representing captured wide-angledvisual information, as may be used by the system in accordance with oneor more implementations.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary image representing a rectilinearprojection, as may be used by the system in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary image representing horizontalcompression of an image, as may be used by the system in accordance withone or more implementations.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary image representing an image in aviewable video sequence, as may be used by the system in accordance withone or more implementations.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary image representing a mask displaying a200×180 degrees angle-of-view in a standard 360-degree container, as maybe used by the system in accordance with one or more implementations.

FIG. 8-9-10 illustrate exemplary images representing immersive virtualtheatre environments including a dome shaped for immersive projection asmay be used by a system configured for capturing and transformingwide-angle video information, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 configured for capturing andtransforming wide-angle video information, in accordance with one ormore implementations. Once transformed, the wide-angle video informationcan be played back using a virtual reality headset in a manner thatprovides an immersive user experience. Conventional playback of videoinformation through, e.g., a virtual reality headset is limited in theexperience of the viewer, especially at the periphery of the viewer'svision. In particular, the common horizontal and vertical angle-of-viewdo not provide an immersive experience, leaving a viewer less engaged inthe story being told.

System 100 may include one or more lenses 108, image sensors 110,virtual reality headsets 136, servers 102, and/or other components.Server(s) 102 may be configured to communicate with one or more clientcomputing platforms 104 according to a client/server architecture and/orother architectures. Client computing platform(s) 104 may be configuredto communicate with other client computing platforms via server(s) 102and/or according to a peer-to-peer architecture and/or otherarchitectures. Users may access system 100 via client computingplatform(s) 104.

Lens(es) 108 may be configured to guide light to an image sensor. Insome implementations, lens 108 may include a fisheye lens. Lens 108 mayhave a focal length of about 2 mm, about 3 mm, about 4 mm, and/or otherfocal lengths. Lens 108 may have a horizontal angle-of-view of about 270degrees, about 250 degrees, about 230 degrees, about 200 degrees, and/oranother horizontal angle-of-view. Lens 108 may have a verticalangle-of-view of about 270 degrees, about 250 degrees, about 230degrees, about 200 degrees, and/or another vertical angle-of-view. Insome implementations, lens 108 may have a horizontal angle-of-view of asimilar number of degrees as its vertical angle-of-view. In someimplementations, lens 108 may be an ENTANIYA™ 3 mm fisheye lens having ahorizontal angle-of-view of 250 degrees.

Image sensor(s) 110 may be configured to capture wide-angled videoinformation. In some implementations, wide-angled video information mayhave a horizontal angle-of-view of at least 200 degrees and a verticalangle-of-view of at least 180 degrees, e.g., as captured by image sensor110. In some implementations, image sensor 110 may capture wide-angledvideo information in at least 60 frames-per-second. In someimplementations, image sensor 110 may capture wide-angled videoinformation at a resolution of 8192×4096 pixels. In someimplementations, image sensor 110 may capture wide-angled videoinformation at a resolution greater than 8192×4096 pixels. In someimplementations, the captured video information is a center extract in6:5 aspect ratio, and the resolution is 5184×4320 pixels or greater. Thewide-angled video information may be based on light that becomesincident on the image sensor, e.g., as guided by lens 108. Thewide-angled video information may represent a video sequence. In someimplementations, image sensor 110 may be a HELIUM™ 8K S35 sensor.

By way of non-limiting example, FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary image 30representing wide-angled visual information as captured using a fisheyelens. Inner dotted line 31 corresponds to an angle-of-view of 180degrees. Outer dotted line 32 corresponds to an angle-of-view of 200degrees.

Server(s) 102 may be configured by machine-readable instructions 106.Machine-readable instructions 106 may include one or more instructioncomponents. The instruction components may include computer programcomponents. The instruction components may include one or more of aportion selection component 112, a portion transformation component 114,a projection transformation component 116, a video sequence storingcomponent 118, a position capture component 120, a playback component122, an adjustment detection component 124, a pattern positioningcomponent 126, a transformation calibration component 128, and/or otherinstruction components.

Portion selection component 112 may be configured to select a portion ofthe captured wide-angled video information. The selected portion may besmaller than the entire captured wide-angled video information. Forexample, the selected portion may have a horizontal angle-of-view thatis fewer degrees than the horizontal angle-of-view of the capturedwide-angled video information. For example, the selected portion mayhave a vertical angle-of-view that is fewer degrees than the verticalangle-of-view of the captured wide-angled video information. In someimplementations, the selected portion may have a horizontalangle-of-view of at least 200 degrees and no more than 250 degrees. Insome implementations, the selected portion may have a verticalangle-of-view of at least 180 degrees. In some implementations, theselected portion may have a vertical angle-of-view of fewer degrees thanits horizontal angle-of-view. In some implementations, the selectedportion may be centered horizontally in the captured wide-angled videoinformation.

Portion transformation component 114 may be configured to transform someor all of the captured wide-angled video information into a projection.This projection may be referred to as the resulting projection. In someimplementations, portion transformation component 114 may be configuredto transform the selected portion of the captured wide-angled videoinformation into a projection. In some implementations, the resultingprojection may be a rectilinear projection. In some implementations, theresulting projection may represent a video sequence, e.g., the videosequence captured by image sensor 110. In some implementations, theresulting projection may include more than a threshold percentage of theinformation in the selected portion. For example, the thresholdpercentage may be 80%, 90%, 95%, 98%, and/or another percentage. In someimplementations, the resulting projection may have a horizontalangle-of-view of at least 200 degrees and no more than 250 degrees. Insome implementations, the resulting projection may have a horizontalangle-of-view ranging between 220 and 250 degrees. In someimplementations, the resulting projection may have a verticalangle-of-view of at least 180 degrees. In some implementations, thevertical angle-of-view of the resulting projection may have fewerdegrees than the horizontal angle-of-view of the resulting projection.

In some implementations, transforming the selected portion into arectilinear projection may be performed such that vertical lines incaptured real-world images (i.e., images without the radialdistortion—or barrel distortion—common to fisheye lenses) correspond tovertical lines in the rectilinear projection. In some implementations,transforming the selected portion into the rectilinear projection may beperformed such that vertical lines as viewed by humans viewing areal-world scene correspond to vertical lines in the rectilinearprojection of the same captured scene. In some implementations, thetransformation into the rectilinear projection may be performed suchthat vertical lines in the center of the captured real-world images moreclosely correspond to vertical lines in the rectilinear projection thanvertical lines near the periphery of the captured real-world images. Insome implementations, the resulting projection may be a perspectiveprojection.

In some implementations, portion transformation component 114 may beconfigured to transform the selected portion of the captured wide-angledvideo information into the resulting projection such that objects ofsimilar vertical height as viewed by humans viewing a real-world scenehave similar vertical height in the resulting projection of the samecaptured scene. In other words, vertical distortion may be addressed byportion transformation component 114 as part of the same transformationor through an additional transformation such that an object in thecenter of an image does not appear greater or smaller than the sameobject in the periphery of the image.

By way of non-limiting example, FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary image 40representing a rectilinear projection based on a transformation ofcaptured wide-angled visual information. Boundary 41 corresponds to animage having a horizontal angle-of-view of 180 degrees (this is theinner dotted rectangle). Boundary 42 corresponds to an image having ahorizontal angle-of-view of 200 degrees (this is the outer dottedrectangle, using smaller dots than the inner dotted rectangle).

Projection transformation component 116 may be configured to transform aprojection into a viewable video sequence. For example, the projectionmay be the rectilinear projection produced by portion transformationcomponent 114. In some implementations, the viewable video sequence mayhave a format suitable for playback in a virtual reality headset, suchas virtual reality headset 136. In some implementations, transforming arectilinear projection into a viewable video sequence may be performedsuch that the format suitable for playback in the virtual realityheadset is a proprietary lat-long format (i.e., latitude-longitudeformat). In some implementations, the proprietary lat-long format may becompressed horizontally. In some implementations, a standard lat-longformat may be used. In some implementations, horizontal compression maybe performance such that a first sub-portion in the center of thecaptured wide-angled video information (or the projection) is compressedless than a second sub-portion at the periphery of the capturedwide-angled video information (or the projection). In someimplementations, transforming the rectilinear projection into theviewable video sequence may be performed such that the format suitablefor playback in the virtual reality headset is panoramic. In someimplementations, transforming the rectilinear projection into theviewable video sequence may be performed such that the format suitablefor playback in the virtual reality headset is stereoscopic.

By way of non-limiting example, FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary image 50representing horizontal compression, wherein image 50 (within the dottedrectangle) has a horizontal angle-of-view of 200 degrees, and a verticalangle-of-view having fewer degrees than its horizontal angle-of-view. Bycompressing horizontally, the resulting image has a horizontalresolution that is equal to the vertical resolution. In someimplementations, the resolution of image 50 may be 4 k×4 k pixels (e.g.,4096×4096 pixels). Other resolutions are contemplated within the scopeof this disclosure, including square resolutions. Image 50 may be acompressed version of the area indicated in FIG. 4 by boundary 42 (theouter dotted rectangle in FIG. 4).

Referring to FIG. 1, transforming the rectilinear projection into aviewable video sequence may be performed such that the format suitablefor playback in a virtual reality headset is cylindrical and/orspherical. In some cases, a first portion of the information used forplayback in virtual reality headset 136 may be based on the capturedwide-angled video information (or the projection), while a secondportion of the information used for playback in virtual reality headset136 may be computer-generated imagery, e.g., independent of the capturedwide-angled video information (or the projection). In someimplementations, the second portion may represent a static virtualenvironment. In some implementations, the second portion may represent adynamic virtual environment that changes during playback.

By way of non-limiting example, FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary image 60representing a moment of a viewable video sequence (with a superimposedgrid). The viewable video sequence may be based on wide-angled videoinformation captured using lens 108 and image sensor 110 (see FIG. 1).By virtue of the operations performed as described in this disclosure(including but not limited to operations by portion selection component112, portion transformation component 114, projection transformationcomponent 116, video sequence storing component 118, and/or othercomponents of system 100), image 60 may be part of a highly immersiveexperience via playback through a virtual reality headset, with lowlevels of distortion. In particular the center of image 60 may havelittle to none of the barrel distortion common with fisheye lenses.Image 60 may have a horizontal angle-of-view of at least 200 degrees andno more than 250 degrees, a vertical angle-of-view of at least 180degrees, and a horizontal angle-of-view having a greater number ofdegrees than the vertical angle-of-view.

Referring to FIG. 1, video sequence storing component 118 may beconfigured to store the viewable video sequence in electronic storage.In some implementations, the stored viewable video sequence may have aresolution of at least 3840×2160 pixels. In some implementations, thestored video sequence may have a resolution between 3840×2160 pixels and8192×4096 pixels. In some implementations, the stored video sequence isa center extract in 6:5 aspect ratio, and the resolution is 5184×4320pixels or greater. In some implementations, video sequence storingcomponent 118 may be configured to store the viewable video sequence ina container, e.g., a standard container as commonly used to store360-degree media content. For example, standard containers may containmedia content in one or more specific resolutions and/or specific aspectratios, including but not limited to a 16:9 aspect ratio. In someimplementations, the container may be configured to contain 360-degreespherical video content. In some implementations, the container may beconfigured to contain 360-degree virtual reality content. In someimplementations, the container may be configured to contain 360-degreespherical media content including both video content and virtual realitycontent.

By way of non-limiting example, FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary image 70representing a mask 72 displaying a 200×180 degrees angle-of-view in astandard container 71. Container 71 may be configured to contain360-degree content in a 16:9 aspect ratio. The periphery of mask 72represents the border of the viewable video sequence that is based onthe selected portion of the captured wide-angled video information.

Position capture component 120 may be configured to capture a positionof a virtual reality headset, such as virtual reality headset 136. Thevirtual headset may be worn by a user. Capturing the position of thevirtual reality headset may include generating output signals by one ormore of an accelerometer and/or a motion sensor, which may be includedin the virtual reality headset. The generated output may signal conveyinformation related to the position of the virtual reality headset. Insome implementations, the generated output may signal convey informationrelated to a change in the position of the virtual reality headset. Theposition may correspond to a viewing direction of the user.

Playback component 122 may be configured to play back the video sequencein real-time or pseudo-real-time through the virtual reality headsetsuch that the user experiences playback of the retrieved video sequencein accordance with the viewing direction of the user. In someimplementations, playback of the retrieved video sequence may beperformed by using an immersive virtual theatre environment thatincludes a dome specifically shaped (e.g., in terms of horizontal andvertical angle-of-view) to accommodate the video sequence. For example,the image presented to the user while wearing the virtual realityheadset may have a horizontal angle-of-view that is smaller than theavailable horizontal angle-of-view of the stored viewable videosequence. As the user turns his head to the right, the presented imagemay effectively swivel and/or pan to the right within the availablehorizontal angle-of-view of the stored viewable video sequence. As theuser turns his head to the left, the presented image may effectivelyswivel and/or pan to the left within the available horizontalangle-of-view of the stored viewable video sequence. Likewise, the imagepresented to the user while wearing the virtual reality headset may havea vertical angle-of-view that is smaller than the available verticalangle-of-view of the stored viewable video sequence. As the user tiltshis head up, the presented image may effectively tilt up within theavailable horizontal angle-of-view of the stored viewable videosequence. As the user tilts his head down, the presented image mayeffectively tilt down within the available horizontal angle-of-view ofthe stored viewable video sequence. Combinations of swiveling and/orpanning and tilting are envisioned within the scope of this disclosure.In some implementations, certain head movements of the user maycorrespond to zooming in and/or out. By way of non-limiting example,FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary image 80 representing a view from therear of an immersive virtual theatre environment including a dome 81shaped for immersive projection of a video sequence, including but notlimited to a video sequence retrieved by playback component 122. Thehorizontal and vertical angle-of-view from a viewer position 82 may beconfigured to provide an immersive experience to a user viewing fromviewer position 82. The remaining elements in the immersive virtualtheatre environment, such as additional chairs, may be merely forcosmetic purposes, and only visible to the user when the user turnsaround during playback. By way of non-limiting example, FIG. 9illustrates an exemplary image 90 representing a view from the side ofan immersive virtual theatre environment including dome 81 shaped forimmersive projection of a video sequence to a viewer viewing from viewerposition 82. By way of non-limiting example, as depicted in FIG. 9, thevertical angle-of-view from viewer position 82 is 180 degrees, and thehorizontal angle-of-view from viewer position 82 is clearly more thanthe vertical angle-of-view, and about 200 to 220 degrees in thisexample. By way of non-limiting example, FIG. 10 illustrates anexemplary image 91 representing a view from the from of an immersivevirtual theatre environment including dome 81 shaped for immersiveprojection of a video sequence to a viewer viewing from viewer position82. Again, the remaining elements in the immersive virtual theatreenvironment of FIG. 10, such as additional chairs, may be merely forcosmetic purposes, and only visible to the user when the user turnsaround during playback.

Adjustment detection component 124 may be configured to detect anadjustment of the position of the virtual reality headset. Theadjustment may be effectuated by movement of the user, including but notlimited to head-movement. The adjustment of the position of the virtualreality headset may correspond to an adjustment of the viewing directionof the user. Playback component 122 may be configured to play back thevideo sequence in real-time or pseudo-real-time through the virtualreality headset in accordance with the adjustment of the viewingdirection of the user.

Pattern positioning component 126 may be configured to position a knownpattern in proximity of lens 108 such that the captured wide-angledimage and/or video information includes a representation of the knownpattern. Capturing images of a known pattern may be used to calibratecomponents of system 100.

Transformation calibration component 128 may be configured to calibratethe transformation of the selected portion into the rectilinearprojection. In some implementations, transformation calibrationcomponent 128 may be configured to calibrate the transformation of theselected portion into the rectilinear projection based on therepresentation of a known pattern, e.g., the known pattern positioned bypattern positioning component 126. In some implementations, calibratingthe transformation of the selected portion into the rectilinearprojection may include performing an inverse mapping from individualpixels in the rectilinear projection to individual pixels in thecaptured wide-angled video information. In some implementations,calibration may be used to counteract irregularities in one or more oflens 108 and/or image sensor 110.

In some implementations, server(s) 102, client computing platform(s)104, and/or external resources 130 may be operatively linked via one ormore electronic communication links. For example, such electroniccommunication links may be established, at least in part, via a networksuch as the Internet and/or other networks. It will be appreciated thatthis is not intended to be limiting, and that the scope of thisdisclosure includes implementations in which server(s) 102, clientcomputing platform(s) 104, and/or external resources 130 may beoperatively linked via some other communication media.

A given client computing platform 104 may include one or more processorsconfigured to execute computer program components. The computer programcomponents may be configured to enable an expert or user associated withthe given client computing platform 104 to interface with system 100and/or external resources 130, and/or provide other functionalityattributed herein to client computing platform(s) 104. By way ofnon-limiting example, the given client computing platform 104 mayinclude one or more of a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a handheldcomputer, a tablet computing platform, a NetBook, a Smartphone, a gamingconsole, and/or other computing platforms.

External resources 130 may include sources of information outside ofsystem 100, external entities participating with system 100, and/orother resources. In some implementations, some or all of thefunctionality attributed herein to external resources 130 may beprovided by resources included in system 100.

Server(s) 102 may include electronic storage 132, one or more processors134, and/or other components. Server(s) 102 may include communicationlines, or ports to enable the exchange of information with a networkand/or other computing platforms. Illustration of server(s) 102 in FIG.1 is not intended to be limiting. Server(s) 102 may include a pluralityof hardware, software, and/or firmware components operating together toprovide the functionality attributed herein to server(s) 102. Forexample, server(s) 102 may be implemented by a cloud of computingplatforms operating together as server(s) 102.

Electronic storage 132 may comprise non-transitory storage media thatelectronically stores information. The electronic storage media ofelectronic storage 132 may include one or both of system storage that isprovided integrally (i.e., substantially non-removable) with server(s)102 and/or removable storage that is removably connectable to server(s)102 via, for example, a port (e.g., a USB port, a firewire port, etc.)or a drive (e.g., a disk drive, etc.). Electronic storage 132 mayinclude one or more of optically readable storage media (e.g., opticaldisks, etc.), magnetically readable storage media (e.g., magnetic tape,magnetic hard drive, floppy drive, etc.), electrical charge-basedstorage media (e.g., EEPROM, RAM, etc.), solid-state storage media(e.g., flash drive, etc.), and/or other electronically readable storagemedia. Electronic storage 132 may include one or more virtual storageresources (e.g., cloud storage, a virtual private network, and/or othervirtual storage resources). Electronic storage 132 may store softwarealgorithms, information determined by processor(s) 134, informationreceived from server(s) 102, information received from client computingplatform(s) 104, and/or other information that enables server(s) 102 tofunction as described herein.

Processor(s) 134 may be configured to provide information processingcapabilities in server(s) 102. As such, processor(s) 134 may include oneor more of a digital processor, an analog processor, a digital circuitdesigned to process information, an analog circuit designed to processinformation, a state machine, and/or other mechanisms for electronicallyprocessing information. Although processor(s) 134 is shown in FIG. 1 asa single entity, this is for illustrative purposes only. In someimplementations, processor(s) 134 may include a plurality of processingunits. These processing units may be physically located within the samedevice, or processor(s) 134 may represent processing functionality of aplurality of devices operating in coordination. Processor(s) 134 may beconfigured to execute components 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126,and/or 128, and/or other components. Processor(s) 134 may be configuredto execute components 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, and/or128, and/or other components by software; hardware; firmware; somecombination of software, hardware, and/or firmware; and/or othermechanisms for configuring processing capabilities on processor(s) 134.As used herein, the term “component” may refer to any component or setof components that perform the functionality attributed to thecomponent. This may include one or more physical processors duringexecution of processor readable instructions, the processor readableinstructions, circuitry, hardware, storage media, or any othercomponents.

It should be appreciated that although components 112, 114, 116, 118,120, 122, 124, 126, and/or 128 are illustrated in FIG. 1 as beingimplemented within a single processing unit, in implementations in whichprocessor(s) 134 includes multiple processing units, one or more ofcomponents 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, and/or 128 may beimplemented remotely from the other components. The description of thefunctionality provided by the different components 112, 114, 116, 118,120, 122, 124, 126, and/or 128 described below is for illustrativepurposes, and is not intended to be limiting, as any of components 112,114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, and/or 128 may provide more or lessfunctionality than is described. For example, one or more of components112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, and/or 128 may be eliminated,and some or all of its functionality may be provided by other ones ofcomponents 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, and/or 128. Asanother example, processor(s) 134 may be configured to execute one ormore additional components that may perform some or all of thefunctionality attributed below to one of components 112, 114, 116, 118,120, 122, 124, 126, and/or 128.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method 200 for capturing and transformingwide-angle video information, in accordance with one or moreimplementations. The operations of method 200 presented below areintended to be illustrative. In some implementations, method 200 may beaccomplished with one or more additional operations not described,and/or without one or more of the operations discussed. Additionally,the order in which the operations of method 200 are illustrated in FIG.2 and described below is not intended to be limiting.

In some implementations, method 200 may be implemented in one or moreprocessing devices (e.g., a digital processor, an analog processor, adigital circuit designed to process information, an analog circuitdesigned to process information, a state machine, and/or othermechanisms for electronically processing information). The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices executing some or allof the operations of method 200 in response to instructions storedelectronically on an electronic storage medium. The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices configured throughhardware, firmware, and/or software to be specifically designed forexecution of one or more of the operations of method 200.

An operation 202 may include guiding light to an image sensor by afisheye lens. Operation 202 may be performed by a component that is thesame as or similar to lens 108, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

An operation 204 may include capturing, by the image sensor, wide-angledvideo information having a horizontal angle-of-view of at least 200degrees and a vertical angle-of-view of at least 180 degrees. Thewide-angled video information may be based on light that becomesincident on the image sensor. The wide-angled video information mayrepresent a video sequence. Operation 204 may be performed by acomponent that is the same as or similar to image sensor 110, inaccordance with one or more implementations.

An operation 206 may include selecting a portion of the capturedwide-angled video information. The selected portion may have ahorizontal angle-of-view of at least 200 degrees and no more than 250degrees. The selected portion may have a vertical angle-of-view of atleast 180 degrees. The vertical angle-of-view of the selected portionmay have fewer degrees than the horizontal angle-of-view of the selectedportion. Operation 206 may be performed by one or more hardwareprocessors configured by machine-readable instructions including acomponent that is the same as or similar to portion selection component112, in accordance with one or more implementations.

An operation 208 may include transforming the selected portion into arectilinear projection that represents the video sequence. Therectilinear projection may have a horizontal angle-of-view of at least200 degrees and no more than 250 degrees. The rectilinear projection mayhave a vertical angle-of-view of at least 180 degrees. The verticalangle-of-view of the rectilinear projection may have fewer degrees thanthe horizontal angle-of-view of the rectilinear projection. Operation208 may be performed by one or more hardware processors configured bymachine-readable instructions including a component that is the same asor similar to portion transformation component 114, in accordance withone or more implementations.

An operation 210 may include transforming the rectilinear projectioninto a viewable video sequence that has a format suitable for playbackin a virtual reality headset. Operation 210 may be performed by one ormore hardware processors configured by machine-readable instructionsincluding a component that is the same as or similar to projectiontransformation component 116, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

An operation 212 may include storing the viewable video sequence inelectronic storage. Operation 212 may be performed by one or morehardware processors configured by machine-readable instructionsincluding a component that is the same as or similar to video sequencestoring component 118, in accordance with one or more implementations.

Although the present technology has been described in detail for thepurpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be themost practical and preferred implementations, it is to be understoodthat such detail is solely for that purpose and that the technology isnot limited to the disclosed implementations, but, on the contrary, isintended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that arewithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it isto be understood that the present technology contemplates that, to theextent possible, one or more features of any implementation can becombined with one or more features of any other implementation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system configured for capturing andtransforming wide-angle video information, the system comprising: afisheye lens configured to guide light to an image sensor; the imagesensor configured to capture wide-angled video information having ahorizontal angle-of-view of 200 degrees or more and a verticalangle-of-view of 180 degrees or more, wherein the wide-angled videoinformation is based on light that becomes incident on the image sensor,wherein the wide-angled video information represents a video sequence;one or more hardware processors configured by machine-readableinstructions to: select a portion of the captured wide-angled videoinformation, wherein the selected portion has a horizontal angle-of-viewbetween 200 degrees and 250 degrees, wherein the selected portion has avertical angle-of-view of 180 degrees or more, and wherein the verticalangle-of-view of the selected portion has fewer degrees than thehorizontal angle-of-view of the selected portion; transform the selectedportion into a rectilinear projection that represents the videosequence, wherein the rectilinear projection has a horizontalangle-of-view between 200 degrees and 250 degrees, wherein therectilinear projection has a vertical angle-of-view of 180 degrees ormore, and wherein the vertical angle-of-view of the rectilinearprojection has fewer degrees than the horizontal angle-of-view of therectilinear projection; transform the rectilinear projection into aviewable video sequence that has a format suitable for playback in avirtual reality headset; and store the viewable video sequence inelectronic storage.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or morehardware processors are further configured by machine-readableinstructions to: capture a position of the virtual reality headset,wherein the virtual headset is worn by a user, wherein the positioncorresponds to a viewing direction of the user; play back the videosequence in real-time or pseudo-real-time through the virtual realityheadset such that the user experiences playback of the retrieved videosequence in accordance with the viewing direction of the user; detect anadjustment of the position of the virtual reality headset, wherein theadjustment is effectuated by movement of the user, wherein theadjustment of the position of the virtual reality headset corresponds toan adjustment of the viewing direction of the user; and play back thevideo sequence in real-time or pseudo-real-time through the virtualreality headset in accordance with the adjustment of the viewingdirection of the user.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein capturing theposition of the virtual reality headset includes generating outputsignals by one or more of an accelerometer and/or a motion sensor, andwherein the generated output signals convey information related to theposition of the virtual reality headset.
 4. The system of claim 1,wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured bymachine-readable instructions to: position a known pattern in proximityof the fisheye lens such that the captured wide-angled video informationincludes a representation of the known pattern; calibrate thetransformation of the selected portion into the rectilinear projectionbased on the representation of the known pattern.
 5. The system of claim4, wherein calibrating the transformation of the selected portion intothe rectilinear projection includes performing an inverse mapping fromindividual pixels in the rectilinear projection to individual pixels inthe captured wide-angled video information.
 6. The system of claim 1,wherein transforming the selected portion into the rectilinearprojection is performed such that vertical lines in captured real-worldimages correspond to vertical lines in the rectilinear projection. 7.The system of claim 1, wherein transforming the rectilinear projectioninto the viewable video sequence is performed such that the formatsuitable for playback in the virtual reality headset is a proprietarylat-long format.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the proprietarylat-long format is compressed horizontally such that a first sub-portionin the center of the captured wide-angled video information iscompressed less than a second sub-portion at the periphery of thecaptured wide-angled video information.
 9. The system of claim 1,wherein the horizontal angle-of-view of the capture wide-angled videoinformation ranges between 220 and 250 degrees, wherein the selectedportion of the captured wide-angled video information is centeredhorizontally in the captured wide-angled video information.
 10. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the rectilinear projection includes more than90% of the information in the selected portion.
 11. A method forcapturing and transforming wide-angle video information, the methodcomprising: guiding light to an image sensor by a fisheye lens;capturing, by the image sensor, wide-angled video information having ahorizontal angle-of-view of 200 degrees or more, wherein the wide-angledvideo information is based on light that becomes incident on the imagesensor, and wherein the wide-angled video information represents a videosequence; selecting a portion of the captured wide-angled videoinformation, wherein the selected portion has a horizontal angle-of-viewbetween 200 degrees and 250 degrees, and wherein the selected portionhas a vertical angle-of-view of fewer degrees than the horizontalangle-of-view of the selected portion; transforming the selected portioninto a rectilinear projection that represents the video sequence,wherein the rectilinear projection has a horizontal angle-of-viewbetween 200 degrees and 250 degrees, and wherein the rectilinearprojection has a vertical angle-of-view of fewer degrees than thehorizontal angle-of-view of the rectilinear projection; transforming therectilinear projection into a viewable video sequence that has a formatsuitable for playback in a virtual reality headset; and storing theviewable video sequence in electronic storage.
 12. The method of claim11, further comprising: capturing a position of the virtual realityheadset, wherein the virtual headset is worn by a user, wherein theposition corresponds to a viewing direction of the user; playing backthe video sequence in real-time or pseudo-real-time through the virtualreality headset such that the user experiences playback of the retrievedvideo sequence in accordance with the viewing direction of the user;detecting an adjustment of the position of the virtual reality headset,wherein the adjustment is effectuated by movement of the user, whereinthe adjustment of the position of the virtual reality headsetcorresponds to an adjustment of the viewing direction of the user; andplaying back the video sequence in real-time or pseudo-real-time throughthe virtual reality headset in accordance with the adjustment of theviewing direction of the user.
 13. The method of claim 12, whereincapturing the position of the virtual reality headset includesgenerating output signals by one or more of an accelerometer and/or amotion sensor, and wherein the generated output signals conveyinformation related to the position of the virtual reality headset. 14.The method of claim 11, further comprising: positioning a known patternin proximity of the fisheye lens such that the captured wide-angledvideo information includes a representation of the known pattern; andcalibrating the transformation of the selected portion into therectilinear projection based on the representation of the known pattern.15. The method of claim 14, wherein calibrating the transformation ofthe selected portion into the rectilinear projection includes performingan inverse mapping from individual pixels in the rectilinear projectionto individual pixels in the captured wide-angled video information. 16.The method of claim 11, wherein transforming the selected portion intothe rectilinear projection is performed such that vertical lines incaptured real-world images correspond to vertical lines in therectilinear projection.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein transformingthe rectilinear projection into the viewable video sequence is performedsuch that the format suitable for playback in the virtual realityheadset is a proprietary lat-long format.
 18. The method of claim 17,wherein the proprietary lat-long format is compressed horizontally suchthat a first sub-portion in the center of the captured wide-angled videoinformation is compressed less than a second sub-portion at theperiphery of the captured wide-angled video information.
 19. The methodof claim 11, wherein the horizontal angle-of-view of the capturewide-angled video information ranges between 220 and 250 degrees,wherein the selected portion of the captured wide-angled videoinformation is centered horizontally in the captured wide-angled videoinformation.
 20. The method of claim 11, wherein the rectilinearprojection includes more than 90% of the information in the selectedportion.